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Topic : My Adoption Story

Share your stories of adopting and raising kids, or being adopted, with us.

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Message to birth mothers

Hi, I just wanted to stress something. While in the process of chosing to place my daughter for adoption I went through extensive couseling by a wonderful and intelligent lady with a wonderful adoption agency. They taught me one thing that will always stick! They taught to replace the words "give baby up" and "put child up for" and other harsh phrases with the phrase..."place child for" and "placed my baby". I think that this is important because we aren't giving our babies to the first person in line, we aren't "putting" a child up for sale and things like that....we placed the babies into families that will love them. We did a GREAT thing! We should not use words that make it look like we did some sort of aweful thing because that isn't the case. I wished more people would use this wording. I know that Dr. Phil does says "place" instead of "given up". I am not quite sure where he learned that from but I was very impressed to see that he used the word "place" instead of "given up".

Dear birth mothers, I was adopted at age 3 month into a loving family. Every year we celebrated my adoption day, which not only is very special when you are a child celebrating birthday, adoptionday and christmas ;-) but also ensured that I was always aware that I was adopted and most importantly that I was very special.

Like all little childen one day, I asked my mother "where do I come from? and she told me that a kind women had asked my parents if they would love and take care of her baby because she was unable herself and how happpily they say yes.

While I have no wish or need to make contact with my birth mother, I think of her as a brave and unselfish woman who had my best interest at heart.

I could so easily not have come into this world or have grown up in foster homes, had she not made the decision to put me up for adoption. For that I thank her.

Good to hear

Dear birth mothers, I was adopted at age 3 month into a loving family. Every year we celebrated my adoption day, which not only is very special when you are a child celebrating birthday, adoptionday and christmas ;-) but also ensured that I was always aware that I was adopted and most importantly that I was very special.

Like all little childen one day, I asked my mother "where do I come from? and she told me that a kind women had asked my parents if they would love and take care of her baby because she was unable herself and how happpily they say yes.

While I have no wish or need to make contact with my birth mother, I think of her as a brave and unselfish woman who had my best interest at heart.

I could so easily not have come into this world or have grown up in foster homes, had she not made the decision to put me up for adoption. For that I thank her.

Birth mother, though you may grive you also give the greatest gift.

Sincerely, Lis

I just wanted to reply because it's nice to hear from someone who was adopted. I actually don't grieve….I am so proud and pleased. I know what I did was right. I couldn't be more confident about what I did. I am glad to hear that your parents made your adoption apart of your life, I think it's important. I am always very happy reflecting on my adoption experience because it was an excellent life's lesson. I was drinking heavily, smoking, hanging out with the wrong crowd...etc. After I found out I was pregnant I immediately quit my old ways and repented. I am now a full-time college student, married to a wonderful man, living in Europe AND I go to church every week...I could go on but for a lack of space and attention from readers I will stop! I get updates about my birth daughter all the time...never once have I ever been concerned for her safety.

Not only did I give her a life she SOO well deserved but I saved her from a life of pain…(yes, she would have been perfectly fine living at home with my parents, family and I) but he threatened to be in MY life.She would have been passed from one household to the other and had the potential to have been molested, abused and neglected by the (what I like to call) “sperm donator”. I was not going to have that.The adoption almost didn’t go through which is why she was 3 months old when I placed her….but I had never been so delighted as when I was when the adoption went through.You can imagine the relief of placing her in the arms of the family I chose for her. She’s safe!

Me and my son

Hi My name is Kristy. I am 25 years old and have one child. My husband and I adopted him from his sister.(So birth mom is Aunt) We have had him from birth he is now three years old. I was wondering how to explain to him he is adopted. I know that at three he will not understand but I would like to be ready for when it is time to tell him. I have been told by some people that he doesn't even need to know. I don't know if that would be ok or not. His birth mother does not want him to know. I feel that is not something that should be kept from him. Any suggestions??

My Fear As A Birth Mother.

I am 19 years old. I found out that I was pregnant at the age of 18. I was into a life of sex, drugs, and alcohol. I quit all of that when I found out I was pregnant. I had seen many people become pregnant when they were not ready and I knew that I was not ready. I also knew right away that I was going to choose an adoption plan for my child. I chose a family that I had known for a long time. I placed my son, who they name Isaac, into this family with great pride that this was the best thing that I could do for him. My biggest fear for the future is that Isaac will hate me. I know that the adoptive family is going to tell him through out his entire life that he is adopted. They have also promised me that they will always tell him how much I love him. So I know that he will always know that I love him, but I don't know how he is going to feel about me. I have never known someone that has been adopted, so I don't really know how people feel about being adopted. I don't want my son to feel like I rejected him. That is exactly what I tried to keep from happening. I know that I am not financially prepared to take care of a child, but I am not emotionally prepared either. It hurts so bad to think about the possibilities of what he might feel towards me. I feel like I no longer deserve to be happy or be successful in my life when I think about the kind of pain that I might have inflicted on my son. &nbsp

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My son is beautiful, and I pray that he has a wonderful life without feeling like he is was rejected by his own birth mother. &nbsp

Don't Worry

I am 19 years old. I found out that I was pregnant at the age of 18. I was into a life of sex, drugs, and alcohol. I quit all of that when I found out I was pregnant. I had seen many people become pregnant when they were not ready and I knew that I was not ready. I also knew right away that I was going to choose an adoption plan for my child. I chose a family that I had known for a long time. I placed my son, who they name Isaac, into this family with great pride that this was the best thing that I could do for him. My biggest fear for the future is that Isaac will hate me. I know that the adoptive family is going to tell him through out his entire life that he is adopted. They have also promised me that they will always tell him how much I love him. So I know that he will always know that I love him, but I don't know how he is going to feel about me. I have never known someone that has been adopted, so I don't really know how people feel about being adopted. I don't want my son to feel like I rejected him. That is exactly what I tried to keep from happening. I know that I am not financially prepared to take care of a child, but I am not emotionally prepared either. It hurts so bad to think about the possibilities of what he might feel towards me. I feel like I no longer deserve to be happy or be successful in my life when I think about the kind of pain that I might have inflicted on my son. &nbsp

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My son is beautiful, and I pray that he has a wonderful life without feeling like he is was rejected by his own birth mother. &nbsp

Dear fellow birth mom-

PLEASE PLEASE do yourself a favor and don’t beat yourself up!Your son is going to think of you as his own savior…hero…etc.I am very sad to hear that feeling like he’ll hate you in the future and that this thought is ruining your life. If ANYTHING you want to prove to him that because you placed him for adoption your life has had a significant change!!When I placed my birth daughter about 6 months down the road I got drunk one night….I went through a serious life altering moment (if getting pregnant wasn’t enough!) and I thought about the future.What would she think about me if she met me down the road say 15 years from now and saw me as a drunk…no schooling…no job...etc.She would think that nothing changed.I want her to be proud of me…hence the reason I hold my head up high.You have a lot of things going for you!You are awesome! Why would your son hate you?Be glad you know these people who are raising him.Have faith that they will raise him to look at the adoption process as being a life savor!Things will works out don’t get discouraged!You have done a wonderful thing, really.Please, life your day to day life as if to prove that you have improved yourself for the better.He was your life saver and you were his!

I've done it all

I am a 44 year old woman from Christchurch New Zealand. When I was 15 years old I had a baby boy whom I placed for adoption. Later in life I married, adn when trying to begin a family had 2 eptopic pregnancies, adn found I could no longer concieve. After 9 years of waiting we went on to adopt 2 boys. Both of these adoptions are open, as this is the normal way here in New Zealand. A couple of years later I met my birth son, who had grown up in a loving adoptive family. He was 18 by this time, and was a fabulous young man, with terrific loving parents. I am a real supporter of adoption, as I think although painful, it is a very viable option for many people. The abortion rates in this country are far too high, and it is so wonderful to know that some birth families have the courage and love to put their babies up for adoption. This is what I say to my boys, that their birth mums are heros, courageous, and filled with love. I am also grateful to my birth sons adoptive parents who allowed him to be who he was born to be, and gave him stability and room to grow.

tell the truth

I am 19 years old. I found out that I was pregnant at the age of 18. I was into a life of sex, drugs, and alcohol. I quit all of that when I found out I was pregnant. I had seen many people become pregnant when they were not ready and I knew that I was not ready. I also knew right away that I was going to choose an adoption plan for my child. I chose a family that I had known for a long time. I placed my son, who they name Isaac, into this family with great pride that this was the best thing that I could do for him. My biggest fear for the future is that Isaac will hate me. I know that the adoptive family is going to tell him through out his entire life that he is adopted. They have also promised me that they will always tell him how much I love him. So I know that he will always know that I love him, but I don't know how he is going to feel about me. I have never known someone that has been adopted, so I don't really know how people feel about being adopted. I don't want my son to feel like I rejected him. That is exactly what I tried to keep from happening. I know that I am not financially prepared to take care of a child, but I am not emotionally prepared either. It hurts so bad to think about the possibilities of what he might feel towards me. I feel like I no longer deserve to be happy or be successful in my life when I think about the kind of pain that I might have inflicted on my son. &nbsp

&nbsp

My son is beautiful, and I pray that he has a wonderful life without feeling like he is was rejected by his own birth mother. &nbsp

Hi there,

As the adoptive mum of two boys aged 10 and 11, I say tell him the truth! We started using the word apotion in ordinary conversation from the time our boys were tiny. We would say things like "I'm so glad we adiopted you" and "wow, its so cool God gave us you to adopt" we have found that in doing this and making it a natural part of our conversations, we have never had a problem with 'the big question' we talk about it regularly and naturally. I guess the hard thing is putting aside the natural anxiety we feel as adoptive mums. But you know when they are little, they just accept it as their specail stoiry. We also made a book for each of the boys when they were very small, telling their stories.

tell the truth

Hi My name is Kristy. I am 25 years old and have one child. My husband and I adopted him from his sister.(So birth mom is Aunt) We have had him from birth he is now three years old. I was wondering how to explain to him he is adopted. I know that at three he will not understand but I would like to be ready for when it is time to tell him. I have been told by some people that he doesn't even need to know. I don't know if that would be ok or not. His birth mother does not want him to know. I feel that is not something that should be kept from him. Any suggestions??

Hi there,

As the adoptive mum of two boys aged 10 and 11, I say tell him the truth! We started using the word apotion in ordinary conversation from the time our boys were tiny. We would say things like "I'm so glad we adiopted you" and "wow, its so cool God gave us you to adopt" we have found that in doing this and making it a natural part of our conversations, we have never had a problem with 'the big question' we talk about it regularly and naturally. I guess the hard thing is putting aside the natural anxiety we feel as adoptive mums. But you know when they are little, they just accept it as their specail stoiry. We also made a book for each of the boys when they were very small, telling their stories.

Abusive adopted mother

I was adopted at the age of five by distant relatives following the deaths of my parents. The woman who adopted me was a viscious, controlling bully who couldn't stand my birth father. All I heard from her growing up was that I was a useless no-good bum just like my father. She was also physically abusive, and I would be hit with a yard stick for something like my bed had wrinkles in it. I am in my 50s now and have been estranged from her for years. She doesn't understand why I don't want to have anything to do with her. I feel resentful that I was placed in her home -- there are lots more issues -- and that she made my childhood and adolescence a living hell. Of course I grew up with self esteem issues, married men who used me, became an alcoholic and all the rest of it. I feel the damage she did lasted a life time and the worst part of it is I shouldn't have been in her home in the first place. I was baptized a Catholic and she's a Baptist. It breaks my heart when I think of the child I was living with all that fear, pain and distress.

I was adopted

As the adoptive mum of two boys aged 10 and 11, I say tell him the truth! We started using the word apotion in ordinary conversation from the time our boys were tiny. We would say things like "I'm so glad we adiopted you" and "wow, its so cool God gave us you to adopt" we have found that in doing this and making it a natural part of our conversations, we have never had a problem with 'the big question' we talk about it regularly and naturally. I guess the hard thing is putting aside the natural anxiety we feel as adoptive mums. But you know when they are little, they just accept it as their specail stoiry. We also made a book for each of the boys when they were very small, telling their stories.

I am 36 years old and was adopted at birth and I dont ever remember my parents ever sitting me down and explaining to me about being adopted it just was always a part of my life. I think that you should not make a big deal out of it and it will just revolve. But you have to let the child know they were adopted.